Irresistible homemade birthday cakes

Every year, right about this time, my birthday rolls around. Yup, it happens every year. And I welcome it. The change in season inspires me to have a fresh perspective on things. There is newness everywhere. (And it’s just warm enough to don a really fantastic birthday outfit!)

Even if it’s not your birthday, spring is such a wonderful time for celebrations. And for that reason, light, luscious cakes are always in order. Here are some of my favorite cakes from the EatingWell Test Kitchen. (See their 5 secrets for baking a perfect cake from scratch here.[7]) There’s something for everyone here. Happy Birthday, Spring!

We love that Bundt cakes don’t demand frosting—just let a sweet lemon glaze run over the poppy-seed cake and you’ve got perfection.

Kids Love: Raspberry-Swirl Cupcakes[14] These raspberry-lemon cupcakes are topped with an easy cream cheese frosting tinted pink with a little raspberry puree. For those unaccustomed to the mildly nutty flavor of whole-wheat flour (used in these cupcakes), the flavor of the raspberry puree swirled into the lemony cake makes the wheat flavor undetectable.

Everyone Loves: Carrot Cake[15] Carrots give carrot cake a health-halo effect—people think it’s health food, but it’s usually very high in fat and calories. But our version has about 40 percent less calories and 50 percent less fat than most. First, we use less oil in our batter. Then we skip the butter in the frosting (don’t worry, it’s still light and smooth). To ensure the cake is moist, we add nonfat buttermilk and crushed pineapple.

Penelope is a web producer and writer for EatingWell.com. When she's not busy geeking out at the computer, she loves cooking and trying new recipes on her friends. Some of her favorite foods are dark chocolate, coffee, apples, sweet potatoes and cheese.